Annual Report Points To Hazardous, Toxic Toys

DETROIT (WWJ) – Michigan consumer group PIRGIM is out with its annual survey of toy safety.

The Public Interest Research Group in Michigan says, despite some progress, consumers still have to be careful when shopping for toys this holiday season.

PIRGIM spokesman Eric Mosher says some of the dangers are more obvious — toys with small parts that can cause choking, toy magnets that can hurt kids if swallowed, and excessively loud toys that can damage hearing.

“They can look at any number of things and say, oh, this might be too noisy, or … my child might be harmed by choking on this,” Mosher said. “But you can’t look at a toy and say this is too toxic, because there’s no sign on it.”

PIRGIM also provides an interactive website with tips for safe toy shopping that consumers can access on their smart phones at www.toysafety.mobi.

In response to PIRGIM’s 28th annual report, the Toy Industry Association says its members work closely with government agencies — including the Commission and U.S. Customs and Border Protection — medical experts ,and consumer groups to enhance the safety of the industry’s products.

“We educate all toy stakeholders – especially manufacturers and retailers – about these strict U.S. toy safety laws and the mandatory steps necessary to demonstrate compliance with them,” said the TIA in a statement. “If a toy fails to meet these tough national standards, we want that product out of the stream of commerce.

“We are especially proud that the CPSC, the federal agency responsible for monitoring the safety of toys, consistently ranks toys among the safest of 15 consumer product categories commonly found in the home … this is a report that parents and families can trust,” the TIA said.

A wide range of resources – from toy shopping tips to recall information and recommendations for safe and supervised play – are available on the TIA website: www.ToyInfo.org.